they wanted to
dull my sparkle,
wanted me to
shrink my crescent
moon shaped
body through their
square shaped holes;

wanted me to cut
off my own thorns
so they could enjoy
the fragrance of my petals
without fear of cutting
themselves on my rage—

& they didn’t like
that i fashioned my tongue
and heart into a sword

to cut down anyone who would
seek to destroy my dreams,

and i used to think
maybe there was something
wrong with me;

but i realize now my defiance
kept me who i was always meant to be—

they were the monsters
for asking me to be
anyone but me.
~

Linda M. Crate (she/her) is a Pennsylvanian writer whose poetry, short stories, articles, and reviews have been published in a myriad of magazines both online and in print. She has twelve published chapbooks the latest being: Searching Stained Glass Windows For An Answer (Alien Buddha Publishing, December 2022). She has three novellas and four full length poetry collections. Her debut book of photography Songs of the Creek (Alien Buddha Publishing, April 2023) was published in spring of 2023.